Records of the Australian Conservation Foundation, Head Office
Melbourne

Scope and Content Note

The records of the Australian Conservation Foundation were acquired by
the National Library from the Noel Butlin Archives Centre at the Australian
National University in 1999.

The records of the Head Office of the Foundation, located in Melbourne,
include the files on meetings of Council, the Executive Committee, the
Administrative Committee, and the Annual General and Special General meetings
extending back to the formation of the Foundation in 1964. Records cover the
role of the Foundation and its policies, staffing matters and its State
Offices.

The records also include Conference and Seminar files, and records
concerning other bodies such as Federal and State Departments, political
parties, other conservation organisations both in Australia and overseas, the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
(IUCN), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UNESCO and the World
Wildlife Fund.

There are files of various office holders and staff of the Foundation
including the President, Councillors, the Executive Director, Campaign
Director, the Information Officer, Research Officers, Project Officers and the
Administrative Manager. This group of files includes working files, press
cuttings and diaries.

The collection also includes the Annual reports of the Foundation, ACF
monographs and serials, non-ACF serials, and video and audio material.

The National Library has retained the file arrangement created by the
Noel Butlin Archives Centre.

Historical Note

The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) began in the second half of
1964, after a suggestion was made by HRH Prince Phillip while visiting
Australia in 1963. His idea, voiced to Sir Murray Tyrell (official secretary to
the Governor General) was that Australia could become involved in conservation
by establishing a branch of the World Wildlife Fund. A meeting was convened,
assisted by Francis Ratcliffe of CSIRO, that consisted of biologists and
interested conservationists. Upon studying the idea, the group came to the
conclusion that if a conservation body was to exist, then its efforts should be
directed at conserving its own heritage. From this the ACF emerged.

The Foundation had its inauguration meeting in August 1964. Made up of
scientists and businessmen, they voted for the formation of the ACF. Sir
Garfield Barwick became the first President, and Francis Ratcliffe the Honorary
Director. The Constitution was developed by a Committee and drafted by Prof.
J.E. Richardson. A year later it was ratified by postal vote.

In September 1965, the first Council Meeting was held in the Australian
Academy of Science Building in Canberra, where the election of the Treasurer
and Executive Committee took place. A part-time Executive Secretary, W.M.M.
Deacock, was appointed in 1966. By September 1967, the ACF had become fully
established and was incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Ordinance
1953 of ACT.

The first General Meeting was also held in September 1967 and this saw
Dr Don McMichael appointed as the first full-time Director. He worked from an
office at Macquarie University in Sydney, but left after serving twelve months.
Dick Piesse replaced him and moved the office to Melbourne. At the time Dick
Piesse was appointed his position, the staff consisted of Director, Assistant
Director (Mosley), Publications Officer, Education Liaison Officer, support
staff and a Scientific Secretary (Ratcliffe) in Canberra.

In 1968, the Commonwealth Government agreed to fund the ACF with $60,000
over a period of three years. Later, as membership grew rapidly, it announced a
grant of $50,000 pa for the next five years. Along with these grants, the ACF
itself launched membership drives and fund raisers in order to raise $360,000
over a five year period. This was successful and by 1970 there were 51
Benefactor Members and 45 National Sponsors.

The annual government grant increased in 1972 from $50,000 to $150,000
when the Duke of Edinburgh replaced Barwick as President. This increase allowed
the ACF to advertise for the position of Executive Vice President which was
filled by John Blanch. However, funding was about to drop dramatically in the
1970s when ACF started to take on a new direction. This change came with the
election of a new Council in 1973 and the promotion of Mosley to Director over
the heads of existing senior staff. The move caused a stir and some members of
the Old Council resigned as a result.

The ACF had begun very much like a semi-scientific body, but
it was to take a more radical turn at this point. It became more
activist and in 1975 joined the Campaign Against Nuclear Power. The 1980s saw
the ACF becoming more politically involved and talk of Green Power
and Green Elections emerged when the Hawke Government came to
office. There were attempts to form Green Coalitions between peace groups and
conservationists.

Problems arose within the Council in the mid 1980s. There were factions
within and rumours of a take-over by the Wilderness Society. As a result of
this unrest, the Director Geoff Mosley was forced to resign and September 1986
saw Phillip Toyne take his place.

The structure of the ACF is made up of: Patron, President, Council
Members and Staff Members. A Constitutional dispute though in 1975 led to the
disuse of Patron.

The organisation is governed by the Council which is elected every two
years by postal ballot. It is a 35 member body which then elects a President
and four Vice Presidents. A Treasurer is also elected and, while they must be
an ACF member, they do not have to be a Councillor. The President, Treasurer
and seven Councillors make up the Executive Committee. Members may be organised
into Branches.

Democracy is important within the ACF. Both elections for Council have
been contested and amendments to the Constitution attempted. Members are often
surveyed regarding input into the organisation, but there have also often been
complaints about division within and outside influences having too much power.

Over the years, as the ACF changed from cautious mainstream lobby
group to a radical component of the Green Movement,1 it became involved in a wider number of major political
issues. These include: Lake Pedder, Franklin Dam, Kakadu National Park,
Tasmanian Power Dam, Fraser Island and Ranger Uranium. Its aims have been to
further the code, philosophy and practice of conservation, by
looking at long term conservation policies. It is involved on a local,
regional, state, national and international level. ACF commitment has remained
unchanged, despite its swing of direction over the years, towards public
education, research and support for special conservation projects of
national importance2 .

Sources

Brief History of the Australian Conservation Foundation,
ACF Newsletter, No. 1, 26th April 1976.

Warhurst, John (1989) The Australian Conservation Foundation: Twenty
Five Years of Development, Department of Politics, University of New
England, Armidale.

1 Warhurst, John (1989) "The Australian
Conservation Foundation: Twenty Five Years of Development" Department of
Politics, University of New England, Armidale, p. 46.